MarineQuest Saturday
Event Details
During our annual open house, the research headquarters are open to the public so visitors can learn about Florida’s interesting plants and animals, like musk turtles, manatees, mangroves, and much more!
Inside the labs, scientists can guide you through interactive displays and answer questions about their research. Here, you can learn about timely conservation topics, like red tide or coral disease, and engage with the experts leading these programs. Outside, explore touch tanks filled with Florida marine life, such as starfish, rays, horseshoe crabs, spiny lobster, and sport fish.
MarineQuest offers something for all ages, including interactive activities specifically designed for younger ages, like gyotaku, an artistic fish-printing technique originally used by Japanese fisherman to record their catches. Visitors can also participate in a mock manatee rescue with our marine mammal rescue team!
MarineQuest 2025 Indoor Displays
Artificial Intelligence in Conservation
Floor Three
Dress like a Scientist
Floor One
Pop on your life jacket, lab coat, or goggles for this fun photo opportunity to dress like a marine scientist!
Electron Microscopy
Floor Three
Electron Microscopy explores things too small to see with the naked eye! Participate in an activity to view the microscopic world and understand the three types of microscopes: the light microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope.
Explore Coral Reefs
Floor Four
What has happened to Florida’s Coral Reef in the past few decades? Come play the Coral Conga to find out! Players will become different species of coral and experience what it’s like to be a coral on our reefs.
Fish and Wildlife Health
Floor Three
Histology: See how scientists use microscopes to view histological slides and look up close at fish organs and diseases.
Parasites/Skeletal Deformities: Examine real preserved specimens of fish with parasites/deformities and pictures of fish skeletal deformities/diseases!
Microbiology/Bacteria: Gaze on bioluminescent bacteria, displays of bacteria plates of swabs from everyday objects, and displays of differential media used by scientists.
Necropsy Lab: Come participate in a “larger than life” dissection of our giant red snapper and play a matching game for to identify fish anatomy.
Augmented Reality Display: Use your cell phone to interact with “Fred the Redfish” to view histology pictures of various internal organs.
Fish Feeding Ecology
Floor Two
Get immersed in the biology of fish in Tampa Bay with a hands-on demonstration examining tooth shapes and feeding strategies of each species! Learn how the Gut Lab collects and identifies different diets, and even how we can identify partially digested food using our collection of jawbones! You will also learn how this essential dietary data is used to help fisheries management decisions in Florida.
Genetics
Floor Three
Visit the genetics lab to play Name that Fish. Learn how we use DNA to identify species, individuals, and populations. Walk through a giant cell to learn about all of the important parts that make up living cells.
Marine Finfish Biology
Floor Two
Do you know how to tell how old a fish is? Ask our scientists how at the Finfish Biology booth! Visitors will learn the critical role of marine habitats in conservation and hear from scientists about acoustic telemetry research we do.
Offshore Fisheries Monitoring
Floor Three
Come play fish bingo at the Offshore Fisheries Monitoring station! Practice your scientific skills by helping us find different fish species in our underwater monitoring videos. Learn about our research, fish populations and health, and unique data collection gear as we study eastern Gulf of Mexico offshore habitats!
Red Tide Monitoring
Floor One
Dive into the world of microscopic algae! Visitors will be able to view harmful algal bloom species like red tide under a microscope and get a first-hand look at some of the technology used to monitor algal blooms in Florida marine and estuarine waters.
Seagrass Ecosystems
Floor One
Come explore the world of seagrass ecosystems! Learn why this habitat is so critical, touch and see the local grass species, and investigate the ways we collect data in this highly dynamic system.
MarineQuest 2025 Outdoor Displays
Black Bear Research and Conservation
Come to the bear research station to hear all about bear ecology and research. You can learn how we help bears in Florida using unique capture and tracking tools, including a CO2 dart pistol!
Coastal Wetlands
Come learn about mangroves, the “walking trees” that thrive in saltwater along the coastlines of Florida. Explore how mangroves spread with floating propagules and learn how to tell the species apart.
Conservation Social Science
Come visit the social scientists at FWC and learn how we are involved in conservation! Test your knowledge, learn about our research, interact with researchers, and see examples of social science in action here in Florida.
Fisheries-Dependent Monitoring
Visit the Fisheries-Dependent Monitoring station and spin to win a common Florida fish species! You'll get the chance to decorate your fish while learning about fisheries science! Visitors will learn crafty identification tips from scientists and can add some of their own artistic touches to make a necklace to take home!
Florida Biodiversity Collection
Come learn about the natural history collection at FWRI and test your identification skills using a dichotomous key.
Tour the collection and see a selection of natural history specimens of fish and invertebrates from Florida waters and beyond! Please sign-up for tours and pick-up your free ticket under the Joint Use Building to reserve your spot. Tour space is limited and entrance is by reservation ticket only.
Florida Keys Fisheries Research
Embark on an extraordinary journey with the Florida Keys Fisheries Research team! This immersive adventure promises a kaleidoscope of natural wonders, encompassing mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and the vast expanse of the open ocean. Visitors have the opportunity to connect with the marine environment in a hands-on way and interact with various animals from the Florida Keys. This intimate encounter serves as a reminder of the fragility of these ecosystems and encourages a sense of responsibility towards preserving the extraordinary natural wonders that make the Florida Keys a haven for both marine enthusiasts and conservation advocates alike.
Freshwater Fisheries Research
In our Freshwater Fisheries Booth, join our researchers and explore some of Florida's most interesting fresh water communities!!
Inshore Fisheries Monitoring
See and touch live specimens of over twenty species of invertebrates from Florida's waters! Learn how and why FWC's Inshore Fisheries Monitoring team monitors fish populations in major Florida estuaries.
Kids Zone
Kids Zone has activities for youth to have fun and create! Choose a fish and make a fish print at our Gyotaku station. Pick from one of the various fish and wildlife FWRI researches, color it in to make it your own, and we’ll finish it off by turning it into a magnet for you! And choose from our selection of fish and wildlife tattoos to wear around the event!
Let's Go HAB Hunting
Ever wonder what it’s like being a Harmful Algal Bloom researcher at sea? Here’s your chance to climb aboard a real FWRI research vessel and see the state of the art tools and instruments they use when studying red tides and the ocean!
Manatee Research and Conservation
Marine Turtle Research
Come chat with sea turtle biologists and learn about Florida’s sea turtles, including basic sea turtle biology, threats to their survival, and what you can do to help save sea turtles!
Reptile and Amphibian Research
Learn about and meet some of Florida’s native reptiles and amphibians up-close! Also learn about native insects that can be found in Florida and how creative our biologists have to be in order to study them.
Right Whale Research and Conservation
Stop by the Right Whale Research and Conservation booth to learn about the whale that visits our state every winter! The North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species threatened by fishing gear entanglements and vessel strikes. Come see how FWRI researchers study this rare species and what we are doing to help protect it. You can find us next to the big inflatable whale!
Sandhill Crane Research
Discover one of Florida’s tallest and most charismatic birds. Learn about the capture and marking techniques our researchers use to better understand how this imperiled species is living among us.
Sharing the Beach with Birds
Enjoy spending time at the beach? So do birds! Test your skills finding cryptic beach nests and cute chicks on the beach and discover what it takes to be a good beach steward. Understand how these unique birds are adapting to a changing habitat and learn about research, conservation, and management!
Sharks and Rays
Explore the unique characteristics of a vast variety of sharks through a hands-on learning experience. Scientists will share identification tips and research methods using real sharks!
Shellfish Fisheries Research
Visit the Shellfish Fisheries Research station for a look into Florida's fabulous crustaceans and mollusks. Come see how we sample for oysters, learn why horseshoe crabs are so unique, and test your strength against a stone crab!
Stock Enhancement Research
Come learn how Stock Enhancement Research scientists raise marine sport fish such as red drum and spotted seatrout, from eggs to fingerling fish using computer automation software along with the latest in marine aquaculture technology. The new Marine Fisheries Enhancement Center is located in Apollo Beach Florida, and will raise and release marine sport fish to support Florida’s world famous recreational fishery.
The Great Phytoplankton Race
Design, build, name, and then race your very own phytoplankton! Come learn about the adaptations these photosynthetic cells need to float, sink, and survive. Get ready…get set…RACE!
The Pollination Station
Visit the pollination station for an up-close look at Florida's amazing insect pollinators. In this exhibit, you'll have the opportunity to explore our collection of native butterflies, bees, beetles, and flies, learn about pollinator ecology through interactive games and activities, and talk with FWC scientists about native pollinator research and conservation in Florida.
Wildlife Health
Wildlife health topics with a focus on panther health investigations, chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer, HPAI in birds, and turtle fraser virus (TFV).
FWC at MarineQuest
Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida
You’ve played “pin the tail on the donkey,” now get ready to pin the seagrass on the lagoon! Come learn about our efforts to restore seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon, a vital habitat for many species and food source for beloved manatees, and leave with a sweet treat.
FYCCN (Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network)
At the archery station, participants can use a bow and arrow to shoot at archery targets on the range. All equipment is provided, including youth and adult sized bows. There is a minimum height requirement, but most youth over 6 will be tall enough to participate.
TrophyCatch
TrophyCatch is an FWC program that engages bass anglers as citizen scientists, rewarding them for recording information about the catch and release of bass 8 pounds or heavier in Florida. Its sister program, Big Catch, recognizes anglers who fish for a diversity of freshwater fish in Florida and celebrates their remarkable catches for 33 different species of freshwater fish. Swing by our booth to learn more about how to participate in TrophyCatch and Big Catch!